ACTIVISM IN ISOLATION: RETURNING TO A BETTER MUSIC SCENE
Written by Felix Jones and edited by Jack Helme & Molly Samwells
TRIGGER WARNINGS: themes of sexual assault and harassment
Social media platforms often burst into flurries of heated activism, signified by aesthetic infographics, harrowing videos, and shocking statements from those affected, capturing both attention and derision in online spaces. All too often, however, the urgency of these current affairs is washed out by the incoming tide of new trends, causing last week’s public outcry to ebb to the land of deep time(lines) and stories “no longer available.” The last 12 months or so has seen a significant surge in the rendering of these issues into mere trends through “virtue signalling” - think Australian bush fires, Black Lives Matter, Jeff Bezos and his financial hoarding, for example. Whilst it is great to see people engaging with the big issues on social media, the vacillating nature of these platforms means that Joe Biden tripping on a step can subside them, and these big issues are being lost in the echo chambers of our timelines amid the din of memes, influencers, and celebrities. This is not to say that our online engagement is bad or futile, but it does highlight the necessity for us to mirror these engagements in day-to-day action, extending beyond facile retweets or shares.
So, with my somewhat vague rant about social media laid down, how does this relate to music? Well, in each of the issues I have mentioned so far, there is undoubtedly an intersection with music and the cultures that form around it. However, the rest of this article investigates just one of these issues in relation to music; the danger that women face in public spaces.
“ …make too many women unable to enjoy or even partake in live music, for fear of the perverse male culture that is riddled with dehumanising and violent misogyny.”
The ever-present danger of assault and harassment that women endure in the streets also fills the pubs, clubs, and music venues that we are all supposed to be able to freely enjoy. For women though, these places are dangerous, to the extent that many avoid them for fear of what may happen there. In a publication from the UK Parliament, ‘Sexual harassment of women and girls in public places’, a woman explains that she has “avoided clubs entirely for a few years now as the harassment is not worth the night out for (her).” The same report stresses the breadth of this issue: “two thirds (63 per cent) of women and a quarter of men (26 per cent) aged 18–24 who regularly drink in clubs, bars or pubs said that they had experienced sexual harassment on a night out.” As our favourite music venues, clubs, and festivals prepare to reopen, our actions to make them safer than they have been needs to be at the forefront of preparations. In an effort to shed some light on what these preparations could look like, I put forward two key strategies - the reactive steps a venue can take, and the preventative solutions that we, the punters, can enact.
Venue owners, staff, and performers have a crucial role in bettering the safety of their spaces. It is up to the owners and managers to train their staff to notice suspicious behaviour, to make them aware of the necessity to intervene if help is asked for or looks like it is needed, as well as aid their understanding of what help should be given. Performers need to be conscious of what is going on both in the crowd and backstage – in a packed dancefloor, the stage or DJ booth can sometimes be the only route of escape for someone in danger, and it is necessary for the performers to be vigilant and assist. Annabel Ross’ recent exposé into Techno pioneer Derrick May has also reinvigorated the need to hold accountable those we have lauded over, whilst highlighting the pitfalls of activism online, as she explains the allegations were trapped in a “Facebook vacuum for the past 12 months.”
The “Ask For Angela” campaign, which started in Lincolnshire, could be an impactful tactic to implement. This strategy aims to easily extract someone from a situation in which they feel threatened or uncomfortable. The idea is that someone can ask a member of staff if Angela is working tonight, which cues the worker to discreetly help them to escape the situation they are in. Ideally, the perpetrator would also be made to leave. Of course, this campaign is only a good one if people are aware they can use it (social media could be an excellent disseminator of this info) and if the staff know how to react when someone asks for Angela. As good as a campaign like this is, it is only a reactive measure and prevents just one instance of assault or harassment, doing little to cut out the kind of behaviour in society that proliferates the abuse. If all we do is remain vigilant and help people escape, we are accepting that assault and harassment are prolific and inevitable, which need not be the case.
Venues and their staff can only do so much in the effort to eradicate the danger that women face within the live music scene; the rest is up to the public. I am of the opinion that the most immediate and effective thing that people (men in particular) can do to alleviate the dangers that women face in music venues is to educate themselves and those around them on what they can do to prevent it from happening through personal and/or collective efforts. To the men who say, “not all men”, you are right, but it is too many men, and it is enough men to make too many women unable to enjoy or even partake in live music, for fear of the perverse male culture that is riddled with dehumanising and violent misogyny. If it is not you, you still have a role to play. It is enough men that some of your friends or family are likely to be causing harm. You have the obligation to speak with them about the boundaries of assault and harassment, and to explain the traumatic repercussions that their catcalling, abuse, and rape has on the victims. In the bio of this article is a link to a list of sources to kick start these conversations – read them, discuss them, act on them.
To draw a line of thought from the opening paragraph, and to stamp a mark of hope, I say this: Whilst it has been easy for us to share our heartfelt thoughts on topics such as climate, gender inequalities, racism, social deprivation, from the comfort of our social media outlets, we will soon be crossing the bridge back into society, so let’s cross with the kind of integrity that turns thoughts into action – to make The Great Reset a really great reset.
